Automated Fiber Placement Weight Control via Real-Time Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated fiber placement systems struggle with variations in weight and thickness of composite parts, particularly in large rotating components like gas turbine fan blades, leading to noise, aerodynamic losses, and increased fuel consumption due to manufacturing variances.
Innovation Solution
An automated in-line manufacturing system with a controller that adjusts fiber tow length and number of plies during the layup process based on real-time measurement data to compensate for variations in input material weight and laminate weight, ensuring precise control over thickness and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated fiber placement is used to reduce manufacturing cost and increase productivity, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to variations in weight and thickness of composite parts
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback control by continuously measuring the weight of the composite part during manufacturing and automatically adjusting the fiber tow deposition parameters. The controller compares actual weight measurements against target specifications and dynamically modifies layup parameters to compensate for deviations, ensuring precise weight and thickness control while maintaining automated high-speed production.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts fiber tow deposition parameters during the manufacturing process based on real-time weight measurements. The controller continuously modifies deposition rate, fiber tow length, and ply configuration in response to measured weight variations, enabling the system to adapt to material inconsistencies and maintain precise dimensional control throughout production.
2Ease of manufacture
If material vendor supplies raw carbon fiber prepreg with larger variation in weight, then ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to significant weight variation in final product
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time weight measurement feedback to detect variations in input material weight and automatically compensates during the layup process. The controller adjusts fiber deposition parameters based on measured weight deviations from the input prepreg, ensuring that final product weight remains within tight specifications despite variations in raw material supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes deposition parameters such as fiber tow length, deposition rate, and number of plies in response to measured weight variations in the input material. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system compensates for material inconsistencies and maintains precise control over the final product's weight and thickness.
3Ease of manufacture
If variations in external shape and weight of composite parts occur due to manufacturing variances, then ease of manufacture is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to noise and aerodynamic losses
Solution Approach 1:
The real-time weight measurement and feedback control system prevents variations in external shape and weight by automatically adjusting deposition parameters during manufacturing. This ensures that composite parts such as fan blades are produced with consistent dimensions and weight, eliminating the harmful effects of aerodynamic losses and noise that would result from manufacturing variances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a balance beam mechanism with pneumatic or hydraulic components to precisely measure the weight of the composite part during manufacturing. This measurement system provides real-time feedback that enables automatic adjustment of deposition parameters, ensuring consistent part dimensions and preventing aerodynamic performance degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated in-line feed-through system and method, integrates the ability to control one or more variables during part fabrication with the layup of one or more fiber tows to form a composite part. The system includes an automated layup system configured to receive a feed-through of one or more fiber tows as an input material. The automated in-line feed-through system further includes a controller configured to respond to measurement data obtained by one or more samplings of the input material and/or a plurality of laid up plies that form a laminate. The controller in response to the obtained measurement data provides adjustment of the feed-through of the one or more fiber tows to compensate for a variation in one or more of the weights from a reference weight.